MIDAS XL8 PROVIDES SOUND FOR INDIAN EXTRAVAGANZA
SSE has provided a Midas XL8 and Klark Teknik DN9696 for Rafi Resurrected, a tribute to legendary Bollywood singer Mohammad Rafi performed by Indian singing superstar Sonu Niigaam and the CBSO (City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra). Rafi was a Bollywood megastar during his 35-year career as a singer on Indian film soundtracks, and lives on as India’s greatest male singer.
SSE’s then project manager Rob Hughes – now working for Midas and Klark Teknik’s UK distributor Shuttlesound - won the contract to supply the PA and crew for the three shows at the Birmingham Symphony Hall, Manchester Apollo and London Collisium respectively. Having previously worked with the show’s producer Tim Pottier. Hughes had no hesitation in spec’ing the XL8. “Its large channel count, ease of navigation to channels via the VCA and POP groups and high quality audio was such an important factor for such a large show,” he says. “I also arranged to use the KT DN9696 to record the show for later broadcast by Sony TV.”
This was the first time mix engineer and orchestral specialist Huw Richards had mixed a show on an XL8, and as a seasoned XL4 he recognised straightaway that it had a familiar feel and sound. “The XL8 instantly grabbed me, as its quality build and feel is pure industry standard Midas.
“The Indian extravaganza was challenging, there were to be absolutely no rehearsals and no music to reference at all, and the first show in Birmingham Symphony Hall was my introduction to the whole project. The XL8’s POP groups and VCAs saved the day. I realised that speed was of the essence, and when using XL8 you don’t have to look through layers to find your mix, you summon the mix and it comes to you. The XL8 sounds fantastic as one would expect, and I look forward to using it again.”
The DN9696 was used to record around 86 channels, including every discrete input, as well as main Left and Right guide tracks plus all effects returns. The recording used Longitudinal Time Code (LTC) to mark the tracks and aid remixing at a later date for the finished broadcast.
“The shows went really well,” says Hughes. “Everyone was very happy with the quality of the audio and the recordings that we’ve listened back to sound great.”
ENDS
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Editors' information:
Klark Teknik was founded in 1974 and in the years immediately following, their innovative approach to design and development allowed them to introduce some truly groundbreaking designs. Klark Teknik was responsible for one of the world’s first digital delay and digital reverb units, however it was their concepts for equalisation devices that really changed the world of professional audio resulting in the DN370 and the famous DN360. Today Klark Teknik continues to bring innovation in design and dedication to engineering and sonic quality in both the analogue and digital realm of signal processing, with the Square ONE and Show Command ranges updating the brand.
Midas live performance mixing consoles have been used by the world's most demanding sound engineers, performers and rental companies for three decades. The company strives to raise the standards of sonic quality through its programme of continual research and development, implementing new control functionality and user-friendly desk operation to anticipate and accommodate the ever-evolving needs of audio professionals who specify Midas consoles for their major tours, festivals, international events, broadcast projects and prestigious fixed installations.